NC Election Board Approves Rules for Challenging Noncitizen Voters
State election board votes 3-2 along party lines to establish procedures for challenging voter registrations through federal database partnership.
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA — The North Carolina State Board of Elections approved new rules Wednesday allowing county officials to challenge voter registrations of people they suspect are not U.S. citizens, despite opposition from Democrats who warn the process could burden legitimate voters.
The board adopted the proposal in a 3-2 party-line vote, establishing procedures for verifying the citizenship status of registered voters. The Republican-controlled board anticipates receiving lists of names from the federal SAVE database as part of an effort to identify noncitizens on voter rolls.
Federal Database Partnership
SAVE is an online database maintained by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service, a branch of the Department of Homeland Security. Governments use the system to determine citizenship status of people seeking government benefits.
The Trump administration revamped the database and is encouraging states to run their voter lists through it to find people who are not citizens. North Carolina’s election board voted in November along party lines to partner with Homeland Security to use the database.
The state could start feeding voter names to the federal government as soon as Friday, according to election officials.
Approval Process Required
The North Carolina Rules Review Commission must approve the new procedures before county officials can implement them. The rules would allow election officials to challenge registrations of “potential noncitizens” identified through the federal database.
Critics argue the process will burden citizens who may be called to government offices to show documentation proving their eligibility to vote.
Database Accuracy Concerns
Questions about the reliability of the SAVE database have emerged from other states’ experiences. ProPublica and the Texas Tribune found widespread errors where SAVE mistakenly flagged Texas voters as noncitizens.
National studies have consistently found that noncitizen voting is extremely rare. The research indicates cases of noncitizens attempting to vote illegally occur at minimal rates across the country.
The new rules are part of ongoing efforts by Republican-led election boards to address concerns about voter eligibility, while Democratic officials maintain such measures create unnecessary barriers for legitimate voters.
